Improvement in middlings-purifiers



Y SSheets--SheetL H. l. BURDICK & C. S. FU LLER.

Middlings-Purifers.

Patented Apri! 7,1874.

No.l49,434.

, 3 Sheets--Sheet 2. H. .|.1BUBDICK & C. S. FULLER; Middlings-Puriers.

N0 149,434 y Patented April7,1874.

" UNITED ,S'rA'rEs PA'rEivrI CFFIOE.

HARvEY J. EURDioK AND cLARK s. FULLER, or. OswEeo, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN MlDDLlNGS-PURIFIERS.

Specification forming `part of LettersPatent No. 149,434, dated April '7, 1874-; application filed October 6, 1873.

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that we, HARVEY J. BURDICK and CLARK S. FULLER, of the city and county of Oswego and State of New York, have invented certain Improvements in Middlings- Purifier, Aof which the following is a speeiiication:

In the manufacture of iiour, one of the products ofthe ordinary flour-bolt is what is known as middlings,77 which, in an unpuriiied state, consists chieiiy of granules of the harder and more glutinous portions of the berry, which lie neKt to the bran, mixed with line particles of bran and other fibrous material, and pulverulent smut, cockle, &c. These impurities or refuse matters are lighter than the granules or good middlings, and adherewith such tenacity to the latter that it has been found very difficult to properly separate them by means of the ordinary bolts and screening apparatus in use for the purpose.

Our invention consists generally of a inachine in which the impurities are separated from the good middlings by the combined action of whippers or bea-ters, which detach the impurities from the granules of middlings to which they adhere, and an exhaust air-current, which yseparates and carries off the impurities as they are thus detached, as hereinafter fully described.

In the accompanying drawings, lconsisting of three sheets, Figure l is a perspective view of our improved machine. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section in line a' a', Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a central longitudinal vertical section. Fig. 4: is a transverse vertical section in line y y, Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a longitudinal vertical section in line z z, Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the adjustable step and lever for operating-it, detached. Figs. 7 and 8 are horizontal sections, respectively, through the upper and the lower part ofthe beater or wliipper.

Like letters of reference designate like parts in each of the iigures.

A represents any suitable frame; I5, an exhaust-chamber, (shown of cylindrical forin,) arranged vertically; and I) b, concentric tubes, arranged within the chamber Il. C is the conical whipper or beater. d is the central feedtube for conducting the middlings fed into it at the top onto the head of the whipperor beater. The beater is formed of a cylindrical body, e, around and from which project curved radial teeth c', of gradually-increasing length from the top to the bottom, arranged spirally in rows, and overlapping each other, so as to form one continuous spiral, thereby giving the beater the shape of a frustum of a cone. The lower end of the beater-shaft rests in an adjustable step or bearing, 0,'(hereinafter more fully explained,) -while the upper end has a bearing in a cross-piece at the bottom of the feed-tube d. The concentric exhaust-tubes b are preferably of the same length, with the inner ones arranged gradually higher, than the outer one, so as to leave about the same space between the lower end of each and the periphery of the conical beater, as shown in Fig. 3. Each of the exhaust-tubes b is provided at its top with an annular valve, j, pivoted in a ring or collar, j", which is hinged at its inner side to the framing, while its outer side is attached to a vertical slide-rod, g, on the outside of the machine, by means o'f an arm extending outward from the collar through a vertical slot in the case, the slide-rod resting against the case, so as to cover the slot thus formed, as represented in Fig. b. By adjusting the slide-rods g, the valves are raised or lowered, and the force ofthe draft in each of the annular spaces b between the tubes regulated accordingly. Below the whipper or beater is arranged a circular hopper, II, having a discharge-spout, h. A sera-per, h', secured to the beater-spindle, revolves within this hopper, and sweeps the material therein into the discharge-spout. rllhe annular spaces b', at their upper end, open into an inclosed chamber, I, with which, on each side thereof, is represented a wind-trunk, J, which connect it with the opposite eyes of a fan, K. Depending from each of the horizontal portions ot these wind-trunks is a hopper, L, provided with an automatic discharge-valve otl any suitable construction. In the rear ends of the horizontal portion ofthe wind-trunks are located revolving cylindrical sieves lVI, arranged crosswise ot' the wind-trunks, so as to iill the passage, for a purpose presently to be explained. lhe heads ot' these cylinders, as shown in Fie'. el, are made tight, while their peripheries are covered with fine bolting-eloth. Hthin these cylinders are placed shot or other globules, m, of sufficient weight to remain in the bottom vof the boltin g-cloth as the sieve revolves, and, by rolling on the same, beat and clear the meshes thereof of any material which may have adhered to the outer surface thereofyA shield or cap, n, suspended by suitable hangers mounted loosely on the shaft of the sieve, incloses the lower portion of the sieve, and serves to retain the clearing-globules in place .and prevent an inward or outward draft of air through the portion of the sieve covered thereby. A hopper, o,with its mouth fitting against and inclosing the lower portion of the sieve thus protected by the shield u, and terminating in a narrow discharge-opening` at the bottom of the hopper L, receives and discharges the material that may be intercepted by the sieve and dislodged by the clearing-globules. A slide-valve, p, is arranged at the rear of the sieve, so as to adjust vertically across the wind-trunk, and thereby regulate the draft relatively to the cylindrical sieve, so that the draft may be concentrated at the upper part of the cylinder, if desired.

The vertical portions of the wind-trunks are also provided with damper-valves q, for regulating the draft when required. The step of the beater-spindle is adjusted vertically by means of a lever, R, fulerumed at r to the cross-piece of the frame, while its free end is raised or lowered by means of a vertical arm, rl, and thumb-nut r2. `By raising or lowering' the step the conical beater can be adjusted so as to iit more or less closely into the exhausttubes, and also closer to or farther from the lower end ofthe conduit-pipe d, and thus regulate the feed. Hotion is imparted to the beater, cylindrical sieve,- and fan by any suitable means connecting" them with'the motive power.

The machine being set in motion, and the beater rapidly rotated, the middlin gs fed into the conduit-pipe d escape therefrom upon the head ofthe beater, when they are subjected to quick and repeated blows from the arms thereof, which detach or whip off from the good middlings the fibrous and other impurities adhering to them, and thoroughly agitate the whole mass. The air-current which passes up through and around the beaters arrests and carries with it the impurities thus detached into and up the annular spaces between the concentric tubes, while the purified grai'iules gradually descend into the hopper below. rlhe centrifugal action of the beaters, together with the outward and upward direction of the aircurrents as theyQenter the annular exhaustpassages, tend to carry some of the lighter granules away from the body of the beater with the impurities. This outward tendency is counteracted by the peculiar shape and arrangement of the beater-arms, which, revolving in the direction shown by the arrows in Figs. 7 and S, serve to retain or gather them in toward the body of the beater until they escape into the receptacle below. The impurities are carried with the air-current to the fan n and discharged. As the air-current enters the horizontal portion of the wind-trunks, the force of the current is so weakened by the enlargement produced by the hoppers L as to cause the light g anules contained inthe impurities to fall by reason of their greater gravity out of the current into the hopper. The office of the cylindrical sieve is to intercept by its meshes any light granules of middlings that may remain in the air-current, while the impurities pass through the same with the air. The clearin g-globules, as the sieve revolves, jar off these intercepted particles into the hopper o, from whence they pass into the bottom of the hopper L, to be discharged, with the other granules deposited therein, through the automatic valve, after a quantity has accumulated sufficient to open the same.

By the use of our improved machine the impurities are most perfectly separated from the good middlings, while the latter can be separated into grades by means of a reel-bolt or other suitable apparatus, when required, either before or after they have been purified.

Any stirrer or other suitable means may be employed.I if required, to facilitate the discharge ofthe middlings from conduit-pipe d, and prevent the same from clogging therein. Instead of the globuleskin. the sieves M, suitable pendulous brushes, similar to those described in another application made by us, may be employed for clearing or dislodging the intercepted middliugs adhering to the periphery of the sieve. Only one wind-trunk leading from the chamber I to the fan is essentiahalthough two may be employed, as shown, if preferred.

It is also obvious that various changes in the construction and arrangement of some of the parts of our machine can be made without changing the main principle of the invention. For inst-ance, a cylindrical beater with straight arms may be employed, and only one exhaustpassage used. The wind-trunk and cylindrical sieves can be arranged, as shown in Fig. 4, so that the yair and impurities, after they have passed once through the bolting-cloth, can be allowed to escape at the side or head s of the sieve, and thus prevent the accumulation of material within the sieve.

Each annular space and the portion of the beater exposed at the mouth thereof operate virtually as an independent apparatus, in which the material is successively treated as it gradually descends through the beater. The amount of the feed should be regulated so as not to clog the beater, or prevent the proper separation and removal of the impurities, while the force ofthe air-current should be so regulated by the valves as to arrest and carry upward the impurities, without being` strong enough to elevate the good middlings.

l. The combination, with the feed-pipe and conical-shaped whipper' or beater, of a series of concentric exhaust-tubes, substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore set forth.

2. A conical beater or whipper composed of curved arms c', gradually increasing in length cilitating the discharge of the intercepted midfrorn top to bottom, for counter-acting the cendlings, as hcreinloeforc set forth. trifugal force. of the Whipper, substantially as 5. The con1bination,with the Wind-trunk and hereinbefore set forth. rotating cylindrical sieve, of Ythc shield n and 3.' The conical beater C, composed of curved clearing-globules m, substantially as and for arms c', arranged spirally in rows, in the inanthe purpose hcreinhefore set forth. ner and for the purpose herein shown and de- HARVEY J. BURDIGK. scribed. CLARK S. FULLER.

4. The combination, with the wind-trunk, of the rotating cylindrical sieve M and hopper o,

Wi tncsses O. H. BROWN,

inclosing the lower part of the screen, for fal ORVILLE M. MORSE. 

